Category: Restaurant

What do Art Vandelay, John Coctostan, and Billy Barou all have in common?

Besides being “characters” in a TV show and two movies (Can you name them? Answers at the bottom.), they are menu items at Moe’s Southwest Grill in Avon, at the French Creek Square.

I first found Moe’s back in October after a visit to Five Guys’, which is a really good burger place. (Possibly the subject of a future post!!) After leaving Five Guys’, we walked past Moe’s and I decided to walk in and check it out, and I picked up a copy of the menu. As I walked out and down the sidewalk, I about fell over laughing at the names of the menu items.

So, ever since then, I’ve been trying to get to the Grill for a meal. Saturday night, my daughter got invited to a sleepover at a friend’s, which is around the corner. So, after church, we headed to Moe’s for a bite. Kristen got a John Coctostan (a quesadilla) and Michael and I had a Joey Bag of Donuts and a Homewrecker, respectively.

Moe’s is to burritos and tacos and such, what Subway is to sub sandwiches. You place your order at the front, and then they ask you for a choice of meat for your item (if it gets meat), choice of beans, and then whatever you’d like for fresh fixin’s on your order: lettuce, jalapenos, cheese, guac and sour cream, and so on. When it’s got whatever you want, it gets rolled up, wrapped in aluminum foil, and placed in a basket with tortilla chips. You can get a soft drink or (get this!:) order a beer!!!! with your meal. There’s a salsa bar there if you’d like salsa with your chips.

So the kids and I sit down, hoping for something tasty. I’m a little worried, because Kristen and Mike are nowhere near as adventurous as I am when it comes to food. This is pretty tame compared to most, but still. I wait until they’ve had a taste, and reacted with big eyes and huge smiles, before I dig into my burrito. Excellent. A little bit of bite because I got both fresh and pickled jalapenos as I couldn’t decide between the two. The chips were crisp, and could’ve used a little more salt, but still good. We didn’t see the salsa bar until we were disposing of our trash, so we’ll just have to go back sometime.

The kids assured me that this is a definite do-again. There’s seating inside, with a few TV’s up on the wall, and there’s also seating out front. So, if you’re ever out and about in Avon, check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

Hat tip to Buster’s Momma (Again!! What would I do without her??) for the FYI on this one. Back in October ’07, I did an article on Morton’s BBQ Hut on Elyria Avenue, because it was falling apart, overgrown, and a car cemetery for old out-of-service City vehicles. It was so bad, even the camera wouldn’t focus:

So, I get an email from Momma, and she tells me there have been signs of activity there. And I ought to check it out. So….

Right off the bat, I notice the front awning is gone, the lot is mowed, the two large dumpsters are a gimme, and the doors were open, and there was serious activity in the front:

Word on the street was that Morton’s had some kick-ass BBQ ribs back in the day, and was a VERY popular spot. The property has not changed hands, according to the Auditor’s site. I will keep everyone apprised as things progress.

And make sure you’re here Monday, as I post a little bit of FISI magic!!

In Friday’s paper, there was an insert advertising the grand opening of Island BBQ on Oberlin Avenue. At her recommendation and glowing review, I told her I’d have to get up there. For the specials they had advertised, I couldn’t not go.

Very glad I did.

I walked in and immediately heard what sounded like some Bob Marley-tunage. I was quickly greeted by the two girls working the counter. I asked for a minute to look over the menu and they immediately pointed out the specials.

Excellent.

Taking advantage of the discount prices and specials, I ordered. And found it almost impossible to stop. A slab of ribs. Two pulled chicken sandwiches. Two pulled pork sandwiches. Two island shells. 10 hickory smoked wings with sauce. 5 small side dishes – 2 sweet potato, 2 corn cake and 1 mashed potato.

Got it all home and passed it around.

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp!

Sorry. Yes, it was that good. The sandwiches disappeared quickly. Very tasty. The ribs were nothing but a pile of bones in no time. Very good. The island shell is a flour tortilla with a large dollop of seasoned mashed potato in the middle, folded over and deep fried. It comes with sauteed onion and/or cheese on the side for a little extra. The shell rocks. Excellent flavor. The side dish of mashed potato was gone before I could ask how it was. The corn cake was sweet and did not last long. The sweet potatoes, which I made sure to grab before it disappeared, could very well have been dessert. Whipped smooth and garnished with mini-marshmallows, they were fantastic!

And extra kudos to the staff, for being as helpful and polite as they were. Nowadays, it’s tough to find good employees. When I was planning on just a handful of rib bones to sample, one of the staff suggested a full slab for a few dollars more. When I thought I was done ordering, one of the server’s reminded me about the special on side dishes. Granted, they were doing their job of upselling, but they were quick with answers to questions I had, and were very polite. A very pleasant surprise.